Autonomous drone with image sensor

ABSTRACT

A monitoring system that is configured to monitor a property is disclosed. In one aspect, the monitoring system includes one or more sensors that are located throughout the property and that are configured to generate sensor data. The monitoring system further includes a drone that is configured to move throughout the property and generate additional sensor data. The monitoring system further includes a drone dock that is configured to receive the drone, wherein the drone is configured to continue generating the additional sensor data while the drone dock is receiving the drone. The monitoring system further includes a monitor control unit that is configured to receive the sensor data and the additional sensor data, analyze the sensor data and the additional sensor data, determine a status of the property, and provide, for output, data indicating the status of the property.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.17/208,516, filed Mar. 22, 2021, which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 16/663,640, filed Oct. 25, 2019, which is acontinuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/918,211, filed Mar. 12,2018, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.62/469,778, filed Mar. 10, 2017. All of these prior applications areincorporated by reference in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates to autonomous drones.

BACKGROUND

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), or a drone device, refers to anelectronic device that is capable of navigating, either under remotecontrol by a human operator, or fully or intermittently autonomously, byonboard or remote computers. Drone devices can be associated with amonitoring system of a property to perform various types of monitoringoperations of the property. For example, a camera of a drone device cancapture video footage of a property premises while performing asurveillance operation. A drone device may be powered by one or morebatteries for operations.

SUMMARY

A drone device may be designed such that it operates indoors as a rovingvideo and audio surveillance device. An indoor drone that is capable offlying within a building autonomously for the purpose of surveilling thebuilding by enabling the live viewing or recording of video and/or audiohas several limitations that this invention addresses.

One limitation of drone technology is that once battery power has beendepleted, a drone typically requires a person either to connect thedrone to a power source for charging of its batteries, or to swap out aset of batteries. As such, an autonomous drone would only be autonomousuntil such time as power was depleted, at which point, if it has notsafely landed or docked somewhere, it may fall to the ground and beunable to fly again without human intervention.

One of the benefits of certain indoor drones is the ability to operateindependently and/or remotely. As drones have limited flight time due tothe constraints of battery size and capacity versus their weight andimpact on aerodynamic lift of the overall drone system, it would beideal if the drone could have a fixed home location where it has theability to charge its batteries and to which it would return after aflight period so that it would be available and adequately charged tofly another time.

An innovative aspect of the subject matter described in thisspecification may be implemented in a monitoring system that isconfigured to monitor a property and that includes one or more sensorsthat are located throughout the property and that are configured togenerate sensor data; a drone that is configured to move throughout theproperty and generate additional sensor data; a drone dock that isconfigured to receive the drone, where the drone is configured tocontinue generating the additional sensor data while the drone dock isreceiving the drone; and a monitor control unit that is configured toreceive the sensor data and the additional sensor data; analyze thesensor data and the additional sensor data; based on analyzing thesensor data and the additional sensor data, determine a status of theproperty; and provide, for output, data indicating the status of theproperty.

These and other implementations can each optionally include one or moreof the following features. The drone dock is configured to charge abattery of the drone while the drone dock is receiving the drone. Thedrone includes a camera that is configured to generate image data whilethe drone is moving throughout the property and while the drone dock isreceiving the drone. The monitor control unit is configured to receivethe additional sensor data by receiving the image data; analyze theadditional sensor data by analyzing the image data; and determine thestatus of the property based further on analyzing the image data. Thedrone is configured to magnetically couple to the drone dock. The dronedock is configured to receive a top portion of the drone and a sensor ofthe drone is located on a bottom of the drone. The drone dock includes apermanent magnet and an electromagnet that is configured to cancel amagnetic force of the permanent magnet based on the electromagnetreceiving electric current.

The drone includes a ferromagnetic material that is configured to coupleto the permanent magnet. The drone includes a mechanical releasemechanism that is configured to release the drone from the permanentmagnet. The monitoring system includes an additional drone dock that isconfigured to receive the drone. The drone is configured to transmit, tothe monitor control unit, data indicating whether the drone dock or theadditional drone dock received the drone, based on the drone dock or theadditional drone dock receiving the drone. The monitoring systemincludes an additional drone dock that is configured to receive thedrone. The monitor control unit is configured to transmit, to the drone,instructions to dock at a particular one of the drone dock or theadditional drone dock. The monitor control unit is configured to selectthe particular one of the drone dock or the additional drone dock basedon the status of the property. The monitoring system includes anadditional drone dock that is configured to receive the drone. The droneis configured to select a particular one of the drone dock or theadditional drone dock for receiving the drone based on a status of thedrone.

Another innovative aspect of the subject matter described in thisspecification may be implemented in a method that includes the actionsof receiving, by a monitoring system that is configured to monitor aproperty, sensor data from one or more sensors that are locatedthroughout the property; receiving, by the monitoring system and from adrone that is configured to move throughout the property and that islocated on a drone dock at the property, additional sensor data;analyzing, by the monitoring system, the sensor data and the additionalsensor data; based on analyzing the sensor data and the additionalsensor data, determining, by the monitoring system, a status of theproperty; and providing, for output by the monitoring system, dataindicating the status of the property.

These and other implementations can each optionally include one or moreof the following features. The action of receiving the additional sensordata includes receiving data indicating a location of the drone dock.The action of analyzing the sensor data and the additional sensor dataincludes analyzing the sensor data, the additional sensor data, and thedata indicating the location of the drone dock. The actin of determiningthe status of the property is based further on the data indicating thelocation of the drone dock. An additional drone dock is located at theproperty. The actions further include transmitting, to the drone and bythe monitoring system, instructions to dock at a particular one of thedrone dock or the additional drone dock. The actions further includeselecting, by the monitoring system, the particular one of the dronedock or the additional drone dock based on the status of the property.An additional drone dock is located at the property. The drone isconfigured to determine whether to dock at the drone dock or theadditional drone dock based on a status of the drone. The drone includesa camera that is configured to generate image data while the drone ismoving throughout the property and while the drone is located on thedrone dock.

The action of receiving the additional sensor data includes receivingthe image data. The action of analyzing additional sensor data includesanalyzing the image data. The action of determining the status of theproperty is based further on analyzing the image data. The action ofreceiving, by the monitoring system and from a drone that is configuredto move throughout the property and that is located on a drone dock atthe property, additional sensor data includes receiving, by themonitoring system and from the drone that is magnetically coupled to thedrone dock, the additional sensor data.

The action of receiving, by the monitoring system and from a drone thatis configured to move throughout the property and that is located on adrone dock at the property, additional sensor data includes receiving,by the monitoring system and from the drone that includes a top portionthat is coupled to the drone dock and a bottom sensor that includes asensor, the additional sensor data. The action of receiving, by themonitoring system and from a drone that is configured to move throughoutthe property and that is located on a drone dock at the property,additional sensor data includes receiving, by the monitoring system andfrom the drone that is coupled to the drone dock that is charging abattery of the drone, the additional sensor data.

Other implementations of this aspect include corresponding systems,apparatus, and computer programs recorded on computer storage devices,each configured to perform the operations of the methods.

Particular implementations of the subject matter described in thisspecification can be implemented so as to realize one or more of thefollowing advantages. A monitoring system may leverage a sensor of adrone while the drone is charging, which would normally be a time whenthe drone is inoperable. The drone may generate sensor data while on adock and mimic a stationary sensor.

The details of one or more implementations of the subject matterdescribed in this specification are set forth in the accompanyingdrawings and the description below. Other features, aspects, andadvantages of the subject matter will become apparent from thedescription, the drawings, and the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a system of an autonomous devicedocking at a charger.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of an example process of using a docked autonomousdevice as a camera.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example monitoring system.

In the drawings, like reference numbers represent corresponding partsthroughout.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of an electronic system 100 having anautonomous device. The electronic system 100 includes a monitor controlunit 110, an autonomous device 120, sensors 132, appliances 134, a userdevice 140, and an application server 150 connected over a network 105within a property 101. The user device 140 can be associated with a user102 such that the user 102 may communicate and/or control the autonomousdevice 120 and/or other components of the electronic system 100.

In general, the system 100 may deploy the autonomous device 120 atvarious time points to collect data associated with the property 101. Insome instances, an on-board camera of the autonomous device 120 maycapture pictures of the designated objects to identify a location,placement, configuration, condition, and/or operability of an object fora corresponding time point when autonomous device 120 is deployed to theproperty 101. In other instances, the autonomous device 120 mayadditionally, or alternatively, obtain data that is collected by thesensors 132 prior to, or during, the deployment time period. Forinstance, the autonomous device 120 may obtain a video footage of theinterior of the property captured by a security camera placed within theproperty 101, temperature data collected by a thermostat, or other typesof sensor data.

The network 105 is configured to enable exchange of electroniccommunications between devices connected to the network 105. Forexample, the network 105 may be configured to enable exchange ofelectronic communications between the monitor control unit 110, theautonomous device 120, the sensors 132, the appliances 134, the userdevice 140, and the application server 150. The network 105 may include,for example, one or more of the Internet, Wide Area Networks (WANs),Local Area Networks (LANs), analog or digital wired and wirelesstelephone networks (e.g., a public switched telephone network (PSTN),Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN), a cellular network, andDigital Subscriber Line (DSL)), radio, television, cable, satellite, orany other delivery or tunneling mechanism for carrying data. Network 105may include multiple networks or subnetworks, each of which may include,for example, a wired or wireless data pathway. The network 105 mayinclude a circuit-switched network, a packet-switched data network, orany other network able to carry electronic communications (e.g., data orvoice communications). For example, the network 105 may include networksbased on the Internet protocol (IP), asynchronous transfer mode (ATM),the PSTN, packet-switched networks based on IP, X.25, or Frame Relay, orother comparable technologies and may support voice using, for example,VoIP, or other comparable protocols used for voice communications. Thenetwork 105 may include one or more networks that include wireless datachannels and wireless voice channels. The network 105 may be a wirelessnetwork, a broadband network, or a combination of networks including awireless network and a broadband network.

The monitor control unit 110 may include a controller and a networkmodule. The controller is configured to control a monitoring system(e.g., a home alarm or security system) that includes the autonomousdevice 120. In some examples, the controller may include a processor orother control circuitry configured to execute instructions of a programthat controls operation of an alarm system. In these examples, thecontroller may be configured to receive input from sensors, detectors,or other devices included in the alarm system and control operations ofdevices included in the alarm system or other household devices (e.g., athermostat, an appliance, lights, etc.). For example, the controller maybe configured to control operation of the network module included in theautonomous device 120.

The network module is a communication device configured to exchangecommunications over the network 105. The network module may be awireless communication module configured to exchange wirelesscommunications over the network 105. For example, the network module maybe a wireless communication device configured to exchange communicationsover a wireless data channel and a wireless voice channel. In thisexample, the network module may transmit alarm data over a wireless datachannel and establish a two-way voice communication session over awireless voice channel. The wireless communication device may includeone or more of a LTE module, a GSM module, a radio modem, cellulartransmission module, or any type of module configured to exchangecommunications in one of the following formats: LTE, GSM or GPRS, CDMA,EDGE or EGPRS, EV-DO or EVDO, UMTS, or IP.

The network module also may be a wired communication module configuredto exchange communications over the network 105 using a wiredconnection. For instance, the network module may be a modem, a networkinterface card, or another type of network interface device. The networkmodule may be an Ethernet network card configured to enable theautonomous device 120 to communicate over a local area network and/orthe Internet. The network module also may be a voice band modemconfigured to enable the alarm panel to communicate over the telephonelines of Plain Old Telephone Systems (POTS).

The autonomous device 120 may be any type of electronic device that iscapable of moving and taking actions that assist in security monitoring.For example, the autonomous device 120 may be an unmanned device (e.g.,a drone device), a robotic device, or any other type of device that iscapable of moving throughout the property 101 based on automated controltechnology and/or user input control provided by a user. In someexamples, the autonomous device 120 may be able to fly, roll, walk, orotherwise move about the property 101.

In various implementations, the autonomous device 120 may be ahelicopter type device (e.g., a quad copter), a rolling helicopter typedevice (e.g., a roller copter device that can fly and also roll alongthe grounds, walls, or ceiling), a land vehicle type device (e.g.,automated cars that drive around a property), or a plane type device(e.g., unmanned aircraft). In some instances, the autonomous device 120may be a robotic device that is intended for other purposes andassociated with the system 100 for use in appropriate circumstances. Forinstance, a security drone may be associated with the system 100 as theautonomous device 120 and may be controlled to take action responsive tosystem events.

The autonomous device 120 can be configured to automatically navigatewithin the property 101. For instance, the autonomous device 120 mayinclude sensors and control processors that guide movement of theautonomous device 120 within the property. The autonomous device 120 maynavigate within the property using one or more cameras, one or moreproximity sensors, one or more gyroscopes, one or more accelerometers,one or more magnetometers, a global positioning system (GPS) unit, analtimeter, one or more sonar or laser sensors, and/or any other types ofsensors that aid in navigation about a space. The autonomous device 120may include control processors that process output from the varioussensors and control the autonomous device 120 to move along anavigational route that reaches the desired destination and avoidsobstacles. In this regard, the control processors detect walls or otherobstacles in the property and guide movement of the autonomous device120 in a manner that avoids the walls and other obstacles.

In addition, the autonomous device 120 may store data that describesattributes of the property 101. For instance, the autonomous device 120may store a floorplan and/or a three-dimensional model of the property101 that enables the autonomous device 120 to navigate the property 101.During initial configuration, the autonomous device 120 may receive thedata describing attributes of the property 101, determine a frame ofreference to the data (e.g., a home or reference location in theproperty 101), and navigate the property 101 based on the frame ofreference and the data describing attributes of the property 101.

Further, initial configuration of the autonomous device 120 also mayinclude learning of one or more navigation patterns in which a user or asystem administrator provides input to control the autonomous device 120to perform a specific navigation action (e.g., fly to an upstairsbedroom and spin around while capturing video and then return to a homecharging base). In this regard, the autonomous device 120 may learn andstore the navigation patterns such that the autonomous device 120 mayautomatically repeat the specific navigation actions when instructed toassist a user during a detected emergency condition at the property.

In some implementations, the autonomous device 120 may include datacapture and recording devices. In these examples, the autonomous device120 may include one or more cameras, one or more motion sensors, one ormore microphones, one or more biometric data collection tools, one ormore temperature sensors, one or more humidity sensors, one or more airflow sensors, and/or any other types of sensors that may be useful incapturing monitoring data related to the property and users in theproperty.

In some implementations, the autonomous device 120 may include outputdevices. In these implementations, the autonomous device 120 may includeone or more displays, one or more speakers, one or more projectors,and/or any type of output devices that allow the autonomous device 120to communicate information to a nearby user. The one or more projectorsmay include projectors that project a two-dimensional image onto asurface (e.g., wall, floor, or ceiling) and/or holographic projectorsthat project three-dimensional holograms into a nearby space.

The autonomous device 120 also may include a communication module thatenables the autonomous device 120 to communicate other devices of thesystem 100. The communication module may be a wireless communicationmodule that allows the autonomous device 120 to communicate wirelessly.For instance, the communication module may be a Wi-Fi module thatenables the autonomous device 120 to communicate over a local wirelessnetwork at the property. The communication module further may be a 900MHz wireless communication module that enables the autonomous device 120to communicate directly with the monitor control unit 110. Other typesof short-range wireless communication protocols, such as Bluetooth,Bluetooth LE, Z-wave, ZigBee, etc., may be used to allow the autonomousdevice 120 to communicate with other devices in the property.

The autonomous device 120 further may include processing and storagecapabilities. The autonomous device 120 may include any suitableprocessing devices that enable the autonomous device 120 to operateapplications and perform the actions described throughout thisdisclosure. In addition, the autonomous device 120 may include solidstate electronic storage that enables the autonomous device 120 to storeapplications, configuration data, collected sensor data, and/or anyother type of information available to the autonomous device 120.

The autonomous device 120 may be associated with a charging station 121.The charging station 121 may be located at a predefined or referencelocation within a property. The autonomous device 120 may be configuredto navigate to the charging station 121 after successfully performing aparticular specified action. For instance, after completing thespecified action upon instruction by the monitor control unit 110, theautonomous device 120 may be configured to automatically fly to and landon one of the charging station 121. In this regard, the autonomousdevice 120 may automatically maintain a fully charged battery in a statein which the autonomous device 120 are ready for use by the system 100.

The charging station 121 may be a contact-based charging stations and/orwireless charging stations. For contact based charging stations, theautonomous device 120 may have readily accessible points of contact thatthe autonomous device 120 are capable of positioning and mating with acorresponding contact on the charging station 121. For instance, ahelicopter type robotic device may have an electronic contact on aportion of its landing gear that rests on and mates with an electronicpad of a charging station 121 when the helicopter type robotic devicelands on the charging station 121. The electronic contact on the roboticdevice may include a cover that opens to expose the electronic contactwhen the robotic device is charging and closes to cover and insulate theelectronic contact when the robotic device is in operation.

In some implementations, the autonomous device 120 may dock to thecharging station 121 close to or on the ceiling, where the autonomousdevice 120 may be equipped with one or more lenses (e.g., 180°field-of-view (FOV) lens) on a bottom surface. When the charging station121 is mounted to a ceiling, or on a bottom or side surface near a wall,the drone may function as a stationary surveillance camera. As themounted charging station 121 is powered, the autonomous device 120 mayoperate as a camera continuously, providing significant additionalutility.

In some implementations, the charging station 121 may include a dockingarm that mounts to a wall and extends out from the wall, such that theautonomous device 120 may dock to either below, at the end of, or on topof the arm. While docked, power would be passed from the arm of thecharging station 121 to the autonomous device 120 either through aninductive charging circuit or through mechanical electrical pin contactsor other such surfaces mating with conductive plates or other suchelectrically conductive surfaces. The pins and plates may be locatedalternatively on either the arm or the autonomous device 120. The armreceives power via a cable connected to a power supply that is locateddown the wall at a receptacle. In some other implementations, there is aceiling dock that is installed in an electrical ceiling junction box.Instead of an arm, the autonomous device 120 is mounted to the assemblydirectly. Power would be supplied to the mount system via buildingwiring and converted to DC in the mount.

In some implementations, the charging station 121 and the autonomousdevice 120 are coupled in a manner which can be remotely triggered toengage or disengage such that the autonomous device 120 can separatefrom the charging station 121 to capture video in other locations or toperform other tasks. The charging station 121 may include anelectromagnetic apparatus whereby the dock has a rare earth magnetcombined with an electromagnet such that when the electromagnet isenergized it creates a magnet force where the poles of the magneticfield are aligned in an orientation that reroutes the magnetic field ofthe rare earth magnet such that magnetic force is reduced or cancelled.The autonomous device 120 may be constructed with a ferrous metal platesuch that when the autonomous device 120 comes in close proximity to therare earth magnet in the docking system, the autonomous device 120becomes affixed to the arm. When the electromagnet in the chargingstation 121 is energized, the magnetic field of the dock is effectivelycancelled resulting in inadequate magnetic force to hold the weight ofthe drone such that the autonomous device 120 may disengage from thecharging station 121 and can begin to fly. In the event that power isremoved from the charging station 121, the autonomous device 120 wouldremain affixed to the charging system 121.

In some implementations, and considering that the autonomous device 120has an onboard power source (batteries), the autonomous device 120 andthe charging station 121 may be coupled mechanically. When theautonomous device 120 positions itself in proper proximity to themechanical coupling mechanism and then engages with the mechanism suchthat one element of the mechanism inserts into another on the chargingstation 121 in a manner that captures the autonomous device 120 toovercome the force of gravity on the autonomous device 120, theautonomous device 120 is temporarily affixed to the charging station121. Using its onboard power, the autonomous device 120 can operate amechanically actuated release mechanism causing the autonomous device120 to disengage from the charging station 121 to fly away from thecharging station 121. As long as the autonomous device 120 has power,the autonomous device 120 may disengage from the charging station 121,even if the charging station 121 experiences a loss of power.

The system 100 may also include one or more sensors or detectors. Forexample, the system 100 may include multiple sensors 132. The sensors132 may include a contact sensor, a motion sensor, a glass break sensor,or any other type of sensor included in an alarm system or securitysystem. The sensors 132 also may include an environmental sensor, suchas a temperature sensor, a water sensor, a rain sensor, a wind sensor, alight sensor, a smoke detector, a carbon monoxide detector, an airquality sensor, etc. The sensors 132 further may include a healthmonitoring sensor, such as a prescription bottle sensor that monitorstaking of prescriptions, a blood pressure sensor, a blood sugar sensor,a bed mat configured to sense presence of liquid (e.g., bodily fluids)on the bed mat, etc. In some examples, the sensors 132 may include aradio-frequency identification (RFID) sensor that identifies aparticular article that includes a pre-assigned RFID tag.

In some implementations, the sensors 132 may include one or morecameras. The cameras may be video/photographic cameras or other type ofoptical sensing devices configured to capture images. For instance, thecameras may be configured to capture images of an area within a buildingmonitored by the monitor control unit 110. The cameras may be configuredto capture single, static images of the area and also video images ofthe area in which multiple images of the area are captured at arelatively high frequency (e.g., thirty images per second). The camerasmay be controlled based on commands received from the monitor controlunit 110.

The appliances 134 may be home automation devices connected to thenetwork 105 that are configured to exchange electronic communicationswith other devices of the system 100. The appliances 134 may include,for example, connected kitchen appliances, controllable light sources,safety and security devices, energy management devices, and/or othertypes of electronic devices capable of exchanging electroniccommunications over the network 105. In some instances, the appliances134 may periodically transmit information and/or generated data to themonitor control unit 110 such that the monitor control unit 110 canautomatically control the operation of the appliances 134 based on theexchanged communications. For example, the monitor control unit 110 mayoperate one or more of the appliances 134 based on a fixed schedulespecified by the user. In another example, the monitor control unit 110may enable or disable one or more of the appliances 134 based onreceived sensor data from the sensors 132.

The user device 140 may be any type of personal electronic computingdevice that is associated with a property management company thatoperates the application server 150. The user device 140 may be one ormore of a cellular telephone, smartphone, a tablet-computing device, alaptop computing device, a desktop computing device, a wearable device,or any other type of network-enabled electronic device.

The user device 140 may include a native application that enablescommunications with devices located within the property 101 through theapplication server 150. The native application refers tosoftware/firmware programs running on the user device 140 that enablevarious features. For instance, the user device 140 may load or installthe native application based on data received over a network 105 or datareceived from local media. The native application may run on variousmobile device platforms associated with the user device 140.

In some implementations, the native application of the user device 140identifies a geographic location associated with the user device 140 andcommunicates information identifying the geographic location. Forexample, the user device 140 having the native application may determinea geographic location of the user device 140 using GPS capabilities, andmay communicate data identifying the geographic location to theapplication server 150. In some instances, the native application maycheck the location of the user device 140 periodically and may detectwhen a user is presently located inside or outside a property. Theautonomous device 120 to determine the region of the property where theuser is located within the property can then use location dataassociated with the user device 140.

Additionally, or alternatively, the user device 140 may communicate withthe monitor control unit 110 and/or the autonomous device 120 usingvarious local wireless protocols, such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Z-Wave,ZigBee, Home Plug, HPAV, HPAV2, G.hn (Ethernet over power line), orwired protocols such as Ethernet, USB, and other wired protocols basedon the RS232, RS485, and/or RS422 standards.

The application server 150 may be an electronic device configured toprovide monitoring services for the property 101. The application server150 may exchange electronic communications with the monitor control unit110, the autonomous device 120, the sensors 132, the appliances 134, andthe user device 140 over the network 105. For example, the applicationserver 150 may obtain and store the property condition data 122 withinthe repository 152 to maintain a historical rental and/or maintenancerecord associated with the property 101.

In some implementations, the application server 150 is operated and/ormaintained by, for example, a property management company that managesproperty rentals for multiple properties including the property 101. Forexample, the application server 150 may be associated with rentalmanagement system (e.g., through a web page or through a mobileapplication) that enables prospective occupants to make a rentalselection of a property that is made available by the propertymanagement company. In such implementations, the user 102 can be anemployee of the rental management company that inspects and/or performsan inspection of the property 101 prior to the start of a rental period,or after the termination of a rental period.

Alternatively, in other implementations, the application server 150 mayinstead by operated and/or maintained by a third party that is distinctfrom the property management company but otherwise has access to rentaldata associated with the property 101 (e.g., data included within therepository 152). In such implementations, the application server 152 mayobtain property information from a system of the property managementcompany for storage within the repository 152.

The application server 150 may be configured to monitor events (e.g.,alarm events, emergency conditions, etc.) generated by the monitorcontrol unit 110 and/or the autonomous device 120. For example, theapplication server 150 may exchange electronic communications with thenetwork module included in the monitor control unit 110 to receiveinformation regarding events (e.g., fire, carbon monoxide) detected bythe monitor control unit 110. The application server 150 also mayreceive information regarding events (e.g., alarm events) from theautonomous device 120.

The application server 150 may also store sensor and image data receivedfrom the system 100 and perform analysis of sensor and image datareceived from the system 100. Based on the analysis, the applicationserver 150 may communicate with and control aspects of the monitorcontrol unit 110, the autonomous device 120, or the user device 140. Inaddition, the application server 150 may store dynamic object data(e.g., based on sensor data collected by the sensors 132), orinformation associated with dynamic object data (e.g., historical statusinformation associated with dynamic objects). The application server 150may also store data associated with the dynamic multi-dimensionalspatial representations that are determined for the property 101. Forexample, the application server 150 may store historical data associatedwith previously generated spatial representations of the property 101over a specified period of time.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of an example process 200 of using a dockedautonomous device as a camera. The operations of the process 200 aredescribed generally as being performed by the monitoring system 100 ofFIG. 1. In some implementations, the operations of the process 200 maybe performed by any combination of one of more computing devices, forexample, the control unit 110, the autonomous device 120, or theapplication server 150.

The system receives sensor data from one or more sensors that arelocated throughout the property (210). The system may be a monitoringsystem that is configured to monitor a property. The sensors may becameras, motion detectors, infrared sensors, microphones, thermometers,or any other type of sensor that collects data related to the areainside and surrounding the property. In some implementations, thesensors may be stationary.

The system receives, from a drone that is configured to move throughoutthe property and that is located on a drone dock at the property,additional sensor data (220). The drone, or autonomous device, may be aquadcopter type drone that is configured to fly around the property ormay be a device that moves along the ground. The drone may include oneor more sensors such as cameras, motion detectors, infrared sensors,microphones, thermometers, or any other type of sensor. The drone maycollect data using the sensors while moving around the property.

The system may include a drone dock, or charging station, that isconfigured to act as a home base for the drone. The drone dock maycharge the drone while the drone is docked. The drone dock may be ableto mechanically or magnetically couple to the drone. The drone dock maybe located on a ceiling or a wall so that the drone may be able to flyfrom below the drone dock and connect the top of the drone to the dronedock. While docked, the drone may act as a stationary sensor and collectsensor data as a camera, motion detector, infrared sensor, microphone,thermometer, or any other type of sensor would if it were installed atthe location of the drone dock.

In some implementations, the system may include multiple drone docksthat are located throughout the property. When the drone connects to aparticular dock, the drone may communicate to the system which dock thedrone is connected to. For example, the drone may connect to a dock inthe living room. The drone may transmit sensor data to the system whileconnected to the dock in the living room along with data indicating thatthe drone is docked to the living room dock. The drone may transmit dataindicating that the drone is connected to a garage dock if the drone isconnected to a dock in the garage.

In some implementations, the drone may be running low on batter power.The battery power may be low enough that the drone may not be able toreach each of the docks at the property. The drone may identify the dockthat is closest to the drone and navigate to that dock. In someimplementations, the drone may rotate which dock the drone uses. Forexample, the drone may be located at the living room dock, then travelaround the property and dock at the garage dock. The drone may return tothe living room dock after leaving the garage dock and traveling aroundthe property.

In some implementations, the system may instruct the drone to navigateto a particular dock. For example, the system may determine that thereis unusual activity in the garage. The system may include a motiondetector but not a camera in the garage. The system may instruct thedrone to navigate to the garage and dock at the garage dock. In someimplementations, the system may instruct the drone to navigate to aparticular dock based on an armed status of the property. For example,if the system is unarmed, the system may instruct the drone to dock atthe dock that has a view of the front yard. This may assist the systemin determining when a visitor has arrived at the property. The drone maystill occasionally move around and survey the property, but the dronewill return to the dock that has a view of the front yard untilinstructed otherwise by the system. As another example, if the system isarmed stay, then the system may instruct the drone to use the dock inthe living room. If the system is armed away, then the system mayinstruct the drone to use the upstairs dock.

The system analyzes the sensor data and the additional sensor data(230). The system may receive the sensor data from the stationarysensors and the additional sensor data from the drone while the drone isdocked or while the drone is traveling. The system may analyze thesensor data and the additional sensor data for any signs of suspiciousactivity. For example, the system may analyze the sensor data for thesound of glass breaking, motion in the kitchen when nobody is home, orany other suspicious activity.

The system, based on analyzing the sensor data and the additional sensordata, determines a status of the property (240). The system maydetermine whether to generate a notification or initiate an alarm eventbased on the sensor data and the additional sensor data. The system mayalso use the location of the dock where the drone was located when thedrone generated the additional sensor data when analyzing the sensordata and the additional sensor data.

The system provides, for output, data indicating the status of theproperty. (250). The system may generate an audible alarm in instanceswhere the system identifies an alarm event based on the sensor data andthe additional sensor data. The system may output a notification to aresident of the property in instances where the system may not identifyan alarm event and instead identifies possible suspicious activity.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a home monitoring system300. The electronic system 300 includes a network 305, a monitor controlunit 310, one or more user devices 340 and 350, a monitoring server 360,and a central alarm station server 370. In some examples, the network305 facilitates communications between the control unit 310, the one ormore user devices 340 and 350, the monitoring server 360, and thecentral alarm station server 370.

The network 305 is configured to enable exchange of electroniccommunications between devices connected to the network 305. Forexample, the network 305 may be configured to enable exchange ofelectronic communications between the control unit 310, the one or moreuser devices 340 and 350, the monitoring server 360, and the centralalarm station server 370. The network 305 may include, for example, oneor more of the Internet, Wide Area Networks (WANs), Local Area Networks(LANs), analog or digital wired and wireless telephone networks (e.g., apublic switched telephone network (PSTN), Integrated Services DigitalNetwork (ISDN), a cellular network, and Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)),radio, television, cable, satellite, or any other delivery or tunnelingmechanism for carrying data. Network 305 may include multiple networksor subnetworks, each of which may include, for example, a wired orwireless data pathway. The network 305 may include a circuit-switchednetwork, a packet-switched data network, or any other network able tocarry electronic communications (e.g., data or voice communications).For example, the network 305 may include networks based on the Internetprotocol (IP), asynchronous transfer mode (ATM), the PSTN,packet-switched networks based on IP, X.25, or Frame Relay, or othercomparable technologies and may support voice using, for example, VoIP,or other comparable protocols used for voice communications. The network305 may include one or more networks that include wireless data channelsand wireless voice channels. The network 305 may be a wireless network,a broadband network, or a combination of networks including a wirelessnetwork and a broadband network.

The control unit 310 includes a controller 312 and a network module 314.The controller 312 is configured to control a control unit monitoringsystem (e.g., a control unit system) that includes the control unit 310.In some examples, the controller 312 may include a processor or othercontrol circuitry configured to execute instructions of a program thatcontrols operation of a control unit system. In these examples, thecontroller 312 may be configured to receive input from sensors, flowmeters, or other devices included in the control unit system and controloperations of devices included in the household (e.g., speakers, lights,doors, etc.). For example, the controller 312 may be configured tocontrol operation of the network module 314 included in the control unit310.

The network module 314 is a communication device configured to exchangecommunications over the network 305. The network module 314 may be awireless communication module configured to exchange wirelesscommunications over the network 305. For example, the network module 314may be a wireless communication device configured to exchangecommunications over a wireless data channel and a wireless voicechannel. In this example, the network module 314 may transmit alarm dataover a wireless data channel and establish a two-way voice communicationsession over a wireless voice channel. The wireless communication devicemay include one or more of a LTE module, a GSM module, a radio modem,cellular transmission module, or any type of module configured toexchange communications in one of the following formats: LTE, GSM orGPRS, CDMA, EDGE or EGPRS, EV-DO or EVDO, UMTS, or IP.

The network module 314 also may be a wired communication moduleconfigured to exchange communications over the network 305 using a wiredconnection. For instance, the network module 314 may be a modem, anetwork interface card, or another type of network interface device. Thenetwork module 314 may be an Ethernet network card configured to enablethe control unit 310 to communicate over a local area network and/or theInternet. The network module 314 also may be a voice band modemconfigured to enable the alarm panel to communicate over the telephonelines of Plain Old Telephone Systems (POTS).

The control unit system that includes the control unit 310 includes oneor more sensors. For example, the monitoring system may include multiplesensors 320. The sensors 320 may include a lock sensor, a contactsensor, a motion sensor, or any other type of sensor included in acontrol unit system. The sensors 320 also may include an environmentalsensor, such as a temperature sensor, a water sensor, a rain sensor, awind sensor, a light sensor, a smoke detector, a carbon monoxidedetector, an air quality sensor, etc. The sensors 320 further mayinclude a health monitoring sensor, such as a prescription bottle sensorthat monitors taking of prescriptions, a blood pressure sensor, a bloodsugar sensor, a bed mat configured to sense presence of liquid (e.g.,bodily fluids) on the bed mat, etc. In some examples, the healthmonitoring sensor can be a wearable sensor that attaches to a user inthe home. The health monitoring sensor can collect various health data,including pulse, heart-rate, respiration rate, sugar or glucose level,bodily temperature, or motion data.

The sensors 320 can also include a radio-frequency identification (RFID)sensor that identifies a particular article that includes a pre-assignedRFID tag.

The control unit 310 communicates with the home automation controls 322and a camera 330 to perform monitoring. The home automation controls 322are connected to one or more devices that enable automation of actionsin the home. For instance, the home automation controls 322 may beconnected to one or more lighting systems and may be configured tocontrol operation of the one or more lighting systems. Also, the homeautomation controls 322 may be connected to one or more electronic locksat the home and may be configured to control operation of the one ormore electronic locks (e.g., control Z-Wave locks using wirelesscommunications in the Z-Wave protocol). Further, the home automationcontrols 322 may be connected to one or more appliances at the home andmay be configured to control operation of the one or more appliances.The home automation controls 322 may include multiple modules that areeach specific to the type of device being controlled in an automatedmanner. The home automation controls 322 may control the one or moredevices based on commands received from the control unit 310. Forinstance, the home automation controls 322 may cause a lighting systemto illuminate an area to provide a better image of the area whencaptured by a camera 330.

The camera 330 may be a video/photographic camera or other type ofoptical sensing device configured to capture images. For instance, thecamera 330 may be configured to capture images of an area within abuilding or home monitored by the control unit 310. The camera 330 maybe configured to capture single, static images of the area and alsovideo images of the area in which multiple images of the area arecaptured at a relatively high frequency (e.g., thirty images persecond). The camera 330 may be controlled based on commands receivedfrom the control unit 310.

The camera 330 may be triggered by several different types oftechniques. For instance, a Passive Infra-Red (PIR) motion sensor may bebuilt into the camera 330 and used to trigger the camera 330 to captureone or more images when motion is detected. The camera 330 also mayinclude a microwave motion sensor built into the camera and used totrigger the camera 330 to capture one or more images when motion isdetected. The camera 330 may have a “normally open” or “normally closed”digital input that can trigger capture of one or more images whenexternal sensors (e.g., the sensors 320, PIR, door/window, etc.) detectmotion or other events. In some implementations, the camera 330 receivesa command to capture an image when external devices detect motion oranother potential alarm event. The camera 330 may receive the commandfrom the controller 312 or directly from one of the sensors 320.

In some examples, the camera 330 triggers integrated or externalilluminators (e.g., Infra-Red, Z-wave controlled “white” lights, lightscontrolled by the home automation controls 322, etc.) to improve imagequality when the scene is dark. An integrated or separate light sensormay be used to determine if illumination is desired and may result inincreased image quality.

The camera 330 may be programmed with any combination of time/dayschedules, system “arming state”, or other variables to determinewhether images should be captured or not when triggers occur. The camera330 may enter a low-power mode when not capturing images. In this case,the camera 330 may wake periodically to check for inbound messages fromthe controller 312. The camera 330 may be powered by internal,replaceable batteries if located remotely from the control unit 310. Thecamera 330 may employ a small solar cell to recharge the battery whenlight is available. Alternatively, the camera 330 may be powered by thecontroller's 312 power supply if the camera 330 is co-located with thecontroller 312.

In some implementations, the camera 330 communicates directly with themonitoring server 360 over the Internet. In these implementations, imagedata captured by the camera 330 does not pass through the control unit310 and the camera 330 receives commands related to operation from themonitoring server 360.

The system 300 also includes thermostat 334 to perform dynamicenvironmental control at the home. The thermostat 334 is configured tomonitor temperature and/or energy consumption of an HVAC systemassociated with the thermostat 334, and is further configured to providecontrol of environmental (e.g., temperature) settings. In someimplementations, the thermostat 334 can additionally or alternativelyreceive data relating to activity at a home and/or environmental data ata home, e.g., at various locations indoors and outdoors at the home. Thethermostat 334 can directly measure energy consumption of the HVACsystem associated with the thermostat, or can estimate energyconsumption of the HVAC system associated with the thermostat 334, forexample, based on detected usage of one or more components of the HVACsystem associated with the thermostat 334. The thermostat 334 cancommunicate temperature and/or energy monitoring information to or fromthe control unit 310 and can control the environmental (e.g.,temperature) settings based on commands received from the control unit310.

In some implementations, the thermostat 334 is a dynamicallyprogrammable thermostat and can be integrated with the control unit 310.For example, the dynamically programmable thermostat 334 can include thecontrol unit 310, e.g., as an internal component to the dynamicallyprogrammable thermostat 334. In addition, the control unit 310 can be agateway device that communicates with the dynamically programmablethermostat 334. In some implementations, the thermostat 334 iscontrolled via one or more home automation controls 322.

A module 337 is connected to one or more components of an HVAC systemassociated with a home, and is configured to control operation of theone or more components of the HVAC system. In some implementations, themodule 337 is also configured to monitor energy consumption of the HVACsystem components, for example, by directly measuring the energyconsumption of the HVAC system components or by estimating the energyusage of the one or more HVAC system components based on detecting usageof components of the HVAC system. The module 337 can communicate energymonitoring information and the state of the HVAC system components tothe thermostat 334 and can control the one or more components of theHVAC system based on commands received from the thermostat 334.

In some examples, the system 300 further includes one or more roboticdevices 390 which may be referred to as drones or autonomous devicessimilar and may be similar to the autonomous device 120 described inFIG. 1. The robotic devices 390 may be any type of robots that arecapable of moving and taking actions that assist in home monitoring. Forexample, the robotic devices 390 may include drones that are capable ofmoving throughout a home based on automated control technology and/oruser input control provided by a user. In this example, the drones maybe able to fly, roll, walk, or otherwise move about the home. The dronesmay include helicopter type devices (e.g., quad copters), rollinghelicopter type devices (e.g., roller copter devices that can fly andalso roll along the ground, walls, or ceiling) and land vehicle typedevices (e.g., automated cars that drive around a home). In some cases,the robotic devices 390 may be robotic devices 390 that are intended forother purposes and merely associated with the system 300 for use inappropriate circumstances. For instance, a robotic vacuum cleaner devicemay be associated with the monitoring system 300 as one of the roboticdevices 390 and may be controlled to take action responsive tomonitoring system events.

In some examples, the robotic devices 390 automatically navigate withina home. In these examples, the robotic devices 390 include sensors andcontrol processors that guide movement of the robotic devices 390 withinthe home. For instance, the robotic devices 390 may navigate within thehome using one or more cameras, one or more proximity sensors, one ormore gyroscopes, one or more accelerometers, one or more magnetometers,a global positioning system (GPS) unit, an altimeter, one or more sonaror laser sensors, and/or any other types of sensors that aid innavigation about a space. The robotic devices 390 may include controlprocessors that process output from the various sensors and control therobotic devices 390 to move along a path that reaches the desireddestination and avoids obstacles. In this regard, the control processorsdetect walls or other obstacles in the home and guide movement of therobotic devices 390 in a manner that avoids the walls and otherobstacles.

In addition, the robotic devices 390 may store data that describesattributes of the home. For instance, the robotic devices 390 may storea floorplan and/or a three-dimensional model of the home that enablesthe robotic devices 390 to navigate the home. During initialconfiguration, the robotic devices 390 may receive the data describingattributes of the home, determine a frame of reference to the data(e.g., a home or reference location in the home), and navigate the homebased on the frame of reference and the data describing attributes ofthe home. Further, initial configuration of the robotic devices 390 alsomay include learning of one or more navigation patterns in which a userprovides input to control the robotic devices 390 to perform a specificnavigation action (e.g., fly to an upstairs bedroom and spin aroundwhile capturing video and then return to a home charging base). In thisregard, the robotic devices 390 may learn and store the navigationpatterns such that the robotic devices 390 may automatically repeat thespecific navigation actions upon a later request.

In some examples, the robotic devices 390 may include data capture andrecording devices. In these examples, the robotic devices 390 mayinclude one or more cameras, one or more motion sensors, one or moremicrophones, one or more biometric data collection tools, one or moretemperature sensors, one or more humidity sensors, one or more air flowsensors, and/or any other types of sensors that may be useful incapturing monitoring data related to the home and users in the home. Theone or more biometric data collection tools may be configured to collectbiometric samples of a person in the home with or without contact of theperson. For instance, the biometric data collection tools may include afingerprint scanner, a hair sample collection tool, a skin cellcollection tool, and/or any other tool that allows the robotic devices390 to take and store a biometric sample that can be used to identifythe person (e.g., a biometric sample with DNA that can be used for DNAtesting).

In some implementations, the robotic devices 390 may include outputdevices. In these implementations, the robotic devices 390 may includeone or more displays, one or more speakers, and/or any type of outputdevices that allow the robotic devices 390 to communicate information toa nearby user.

The robotic devices 390 also may include a communication module thatenables the robotic devices 390 to communicate with the control unit310, each other, and/or other devices. The communication module may be awireless communication module that allows the robotic devices 390 tocommunicate wirelessly. For instance, the communication module may be aWi-Fi module that enables the robotic devices 390 to communicate over alocal wireless network at the home. The communication module further maybe a 900 MHz wireless communication module that enables the roboticdevices 390 to communicate directly with the control unit 310. Othertypes of short-range wireless communication protocols, such asBluetooth, Bluetooth LE, Z-wave, Zigbee, etc., may be used to allow therobotic devices 390 to communicate with other devices in the home. Insome implementations, the robotic devices 390 may communicate with eachother or with other devices of the system 300 through the network 305.

The robotic devices 390 further may include processor and storagecapabilities. The robotic devices 390 may include any suitableprocessing devices that enable the robotic devices 390 to operateapplications and perform the actions described throughout thisdisclosure. In addition, the robotic devices 390 may include solid stateelectronic storage that enables the robotic devices 390 to storeapplications, configuration data, collected sensor data, and/or anyother type of information available to the robotic devices 390.

The robotic devices 390 are associated with one or more chargingstations 357. The charging stations 357 may be similar to the chargingstation 121 described in FIG. 1. The charging stations 357 may belocated at predefined home base or reference locations in the home. Therobotic devices 390 may be configured to navigate to the chargingstations 357 after completion of tasks needed to be performed for themonitoring system 300. For instance, after completion of a monitoringoperation or upon instruction by the control unit 310, the roboticdevices 390 may be configured to automatically fly to and land on one ofthe charging stations 357. In this regard, the robotic devices 390 mayautomatically maintain a fully charged battery in a state in which therobotic devices 390 are ready for use by the monitoring system 300.

The charging stations 357 may be contact based charging stations and/orwireless charging stations. For contact based charging stations 357, therobotic devices 390 may have readily accessible points of contact thatthe robotic devices 390 are capable of positioning and mating with acorresponding contact on the charging station 357. For instance, ahelicopter type robotic device may have an electronic contact on aportion of its landing gear that rests on and mates with an electronicpad of a charging station 357 when the helicopter type robotic devicelands on the charging station 357. The electronic contact on the roboticdevice may include a cover that opens to expose the electronic contactwhen the robotic device is charging and closes to cover and insulate theelectronic contact when the robotic device is in operation.

For wireless charging stations 357, the robotic devices 390 may chargethrough a wireless exchange of power. In these cases, the roboticdevices 390 need only locate themselves closely enough to the wirelesscharging stations 357 for the wireless exchange of power to occur. Inthis regard, the positioning needed to land at a predefined home base orreference location in the home may be less precise than with a contactbased charging station 357. Based on the robotic devices 390 landing ata wireless charging station 357, the wireless charging station 357outputs a wireless signal that the robotic devices 390 receive andconvert to a power signal that charges a battery maintained on therobotic devices 390.

In some implementations, each of the robotic devices 390 has acorresponding and assigned charging station 357 such that the number ofrobotic devices 390 equals the number of charging stations. In theseimplementations, the robotic devices 390 always navigate to the specificcharging station assigned to that robotic device. For instance, a firstrobotic device may always use a first charging station and a secondrobotic device may always use a second charging station.

In some examples, the robotic devices 390 may share charging stations357. For instance, the robotic devices 390 may use one or more communitycharging stations 357 that are capable of charging multiple roboticdevices 390. The community charging station may be configured to chargemultiple robotic devices 390 in parallel. The community charging stationmay be configured to charge multiple robotic devices 390 in serial suchthat the multiple robotic devices 390 take turns charging and, whenfully charged, return to a predefined home base or reference location inthe home that is not associated with a charger. The number of communitycharging stations may be less than the number of robotic devices 390.

Also, the charging stations 357 may not be assigned to specific roboticdevices 390 and may be capable of charging any of the robotic devices390. In this regard, the robotic devices 390 may use any suitable,unoccupied charging station when not in use. For instance, when one ofthe robotic devices 390 has completed an operation or is in need ofbattery charge, the control unit 310 references a stored table of theoccupancy status of each charging station 357 and instructs the roboticdevice to navigate to the nearest charging station 357 that isunoccupied.

The system 300 further includes one or more integrated security devices380. The one or more integrated security devices may include any type ofdevice used to provide alerts based on received sensor data. Forinstance, the one or more control units 310 may provide one or morealerts to the one or more integrated security input/output devices 380.Additionally, the one or more control units 310 may receive one or moresensor data from the sensors 320 and determine whether to provide analert to the one or more integrated security input/output devices 380.

The sensors 320, the home automation controls 322, the camera 330, thethermostat 334, and the integrated security devices 380 may communicatewith the controller 312 over communication links 324, 326, 328, 332,338, and 384. The communication links 324, 326, 328, 332, 338, and 384may be a wired or wireless data pathway configured to transmit signalsfrom the sensors 320, the home automation controls 322, the camera 330,the thermostat 334, and the integrated security devices 380 to thecontroller 312. The sensors 320, the home automation controls 322, thecamera 330, the thermostat 334, and the integrated security devices 380may continuously transmit sensed values to the controller 312,periodically transmit sensed values to the controller 312, or transmitsensed values to the controller 312 in response to a change in a sensedvalue.

The communication links 324, 326, 328, 332, 338, and 384 may include alocal network. The sensors 320, the home automation controls 322, thecamera 330, the thermostat 334, and the integrated security devices 380,and the controller 312 may exchange data and commands over the localnetwork. The local network may include 802.11 “Wi-Fi” wireless Ethernet(e.g., using low-power Wi-Fi chipsets), Z-Wave, Zigbee, Bluetooth,“Homeplug” or other “Powerline” networks that operate over AC wiring,and a Category 5 (CAT5) or Category 6 (CAT6) wired Ethernet network. Thelocal network may be a mesh network constructed based on the devicesconnected to the mesh network.

The monitoring server 360 is an electronic device configured to providemonitoring services by exchanging electronic communications with thecontrol unit 310, the one or more user devices 340 and 350, and thecentral alarm station server 370 over the network 305. For example, themonitoring server 360 may be configured to monitor events (e.g., alarmevents) generated by the control unit 310. In this example, themonitoring server 360 may exchange electronic communications with thenetwork module 314 included in the control unit 310 to receiveinformation regarding events (e.g., alerts) detected by the control unit310. The monitoring server 360 also may receive information regardingevents (e.g., alerts) from the one or more user devices 340 and 350.

In some examples, the monitoring server 360 may route alert datareceived from the network module 314 or the one or more user devices 340and 350 to the central alarm station server 370. For example, themonitoring server 360 may transmit the alert data to the central alarmstation server 370 over the network 305.

The monitoring server 360 may store sensor and image data received fromthe monitoring system and perform analysis of sensor and image datareceived from the monitoring system. Based on the analysis, themonitoring server 360 may communicate with and control aspects of thecontrol unit 310 or the one or more user devices 340 and 350.

The monitoring server 360 may provide various monitoring services to thesystem 300. For example, the monitoring server 360 may analyze thesensor, image, and other data to determine an activity pattern of aresident of the home monitored by the system 300. In someimplementations, the monitoring server 360 may analyze the data foralarm conditions or may determine and perform actions at the home byissuing commands to one or more of the controls 322, possibly throughthe control unit 310.

The central alarm station server 370 is an electronic device configuredto provide alarm monitoring service by exchanging communications withthe control unit 310, the one or more mobile devices 340 and 350, andthe monitoring server 360 over the network 305. For example, the centralalarm station server 370 may be configured to monitor alerting eventsgenerated by the control unit 310. In this example, the central alarmstation server 370 may exchange communications with the network module314 included in the control unit 310 to receive information regardingalerting events detected by the control unit 310. The central alarmstation server 370 also may receive information regarding alertingevents from the one or more mobile devices 340 and 350 and/or themonitoring server 360.

The central alarm station server 370 is connected to multiple terminals372 and 374. The terminals 372 and 374 may be used by operators toprocess alerting events. For example, the central alarm station server370 may route alerting data to the terminals 372 and 374 to enable anoperator to process the alerting data. The terminals 372 and 374 mayinclude general-purpose computers (e.g., desktop personal computers,workstations, or laptop computers) that are configured to receivealerting data from a server in the central alarm station server 370 andrender a display of information based on the alerting data. Forinstance, the controller 312 may control the network module 314 totransmit, to the central alarm station server 370, alerting dataindicating that a sensor 320 detected motion from a motion sensor viathe sensors 320. The central alarm station server 370 may receive thealerting data and route the alerting data to the terminal 372 forprocessing by an operator associated with the terminal 372. The terminal372 may render a display to the operator that includes informationassociated with the alerting event (e.g., the lock sensor data, themotion sensor data, the contact sensor data, etc.) and the operator mayhandle the alerting event based on the displayed information.

In some implementations, the terminals 372 and 374 may be mobile devicesor devices designed for a specific function. Although FIG. 3 illustratestwo terminals for brevity, actual implementations may include more (and,perhaps, many more) terminals.

The one or more authorized user devices 340 and 350 are devices thathost and display user interfaces. For instance, the user device 340 is amobile device that hosts or runs one or more native applications (e.g.,the smart home application 342). The user device 340 may be a cellularphone or a non-cellular locally networked device with a display. Theuser device 340 may include a cell phone, a smart phone, a tablet PC, apersonal digital assistant (“PDA”), or any other portable deviceconfigured to communicate over a network and display information. Forexample, implementations may also include Blackberry-type devices (e.g.,as provided by Research in Motion), electronic organizers, iPhone-typedevices (e.g., as provided by Apple), iPod devices (e.g., as provided byApple) or other portable music players, other communication devices, andhandheld or portable electronic devices for gaming, communications,and/or data organization. The user device 340 may perform functionsunrelated to the monitoring system, such as placing personal telephonecalls, playing music, playing video, displaying pictures, browsing theInternet, maintaining an electronic calendar, etc.

The user device 340 includes a smart home application 342. The smarthome application 342 refers to a software/firmware program running onthe corresponding mobile device that enables the user interface andfeatures described throughout. The user device 340 may load or installthe smart home application 342 based on data received over a network ordata received from local media. The smart home application 342 runs onmobile devices platforms, such as iPhone, iPod touch, Blackberry, GoogleAndroid, Windows Mobile, etc. The smart home application 342 enables theuser device 340 to receive and process image and sensor data from themonitoring system.

The user device 350 may be a general-purpose computer (e.g., a desktoppersonal computer, a workstation, or a laptop computer) that isconfigured to communicate with the monitoring server 360 and/or thecontrol unit 310 over the network 305. The user device 350 may beconfigured to display a smart home user interface 352 that is generatedby the user device 350 or generated by the monitoring server 360. Forexample, the user device 350 may be configured to display a userinterface (e.g., a web page) provided by the monitoring server 360 thatenables a user to perceive images captured by the camera 330 and/orreports related to the monitoring system. Although FIG. 3 illustratestwo user devices for brevity, actual implementations may include more(and, perhaps, many more) or fewer user devices.

In some implementations, the one or more user devices 340 and 350communicate with and receive monitoring system data from the controlunit 310 using the communication link 338. For instance, the one or moreuser devices 340 and 350 may communicate with the control unit 310 usingvarious local wireless protocols such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Z-wave,Zigbee, HomePlug (ethernet over power line), or wired protocols such asEthernet and USB, to connect the one or more user devices 340 and 350 tolocal security and automation equipment. The one or more user devices340 and 350 may connect locally to the monitoring system and its sensorsand other devices. The local connection may improve the speed of statusand control communications because communicating through the network 305with a remote server (e.g., the monitoring server 360) may besignificantly slower.

Although the one or more user devices 340 and 350 are shown ascommunicating with the control unit 310, the one or more user devices340 and 350 may communicate directly with the sensors and other devicescontrolled by the control unit 310. In some implementations, the one ormore user devices 340 and 350 replace the control unit 310 and performthe functions of the control unit 310 for local monitoring and longrange/offsite communication.

In other implementations, the one or more user devices 340 and 350receive monitoring system data captured by the control unit 310 throughthe network 305. The one or more user devices 340, 350 may receive thedata from the control unit 310 through the network 305 or the monitoringserver 360 may relay data received from the control unit 310 to the oneor more user devices 340 and 350 through the network 305. In thisregard, the monitoring server 360 may facilitate communication betweenthe one or more user devices 340 and 350 and the monitoring system.

In some implementations, the one or more user devices 340 and 350 may beconfigured to switch whether the one or more user devices 340 and 350communicate with the control unit 310 directly (e.g., through link 338)or through the monitoring server 360 (e.g., through network 305) basedon a location of the one or more user devices 340 and 350. For instance,when the one or more user devices 340 and 350 are located close to thecontrol unit 310 and in range to communicate directly with the controlunit 310, the one or more user devices 340 and 350 use directcommunication. When the one or more user devices 340 and 350 are locatedfar from the control unit 310 and not in range to communicate directlywith the control unit 310, the one or more user devices 340 and 350 usecommunication through the monitoring server 360.

Although the one or more user devices 340 and 350 are shown as beingconnected to the network 305, in some implementations, the one or moreuser devices 340 and 350 are not connected to the network 305. In theseimplementations, the one or more user devices 340 and 350 communicatedirectly with one or more of the monitoring system components and nonetwork (e.g., Internet) connection or reliance on remote servers isneeded.

In some implementations, the one or more user devices 340 and 350 areused in conjunction with only local sensors and/or local devices in ahouse. In these implementations, the system 300 includes the one or moreuser devices 340 and 350, the sensors 320, the home automation controls322, the camera 330, the robotic devices 390, and the charging station357. The one or more user devices 340 and 350 receive data directly fromthe sensors 320, the home automation controls 322, the camera 330, therobotic devices 390, and the charging station 357 and sends datadirectly to the sensors 320, the home automation controls 322, thecamera 330, the robotic devices 390, and the charging station 357. Theone or more user devices 340, 350 provide the appropriateinterfaces/processing to provide visual surveillance and reporting.

In other implementations, the system 300 further includes network 305and the sensors 320, the home automation controls 322, the camera 330,the thermostat 334, the robotic devices 390, and the charging station357 are configured to communicate sensor and image data to the one ormore user devices 340 and 350 over network 305 (e.g., the Internet,cellular network, etc.). In yet another implementation, the sensors 320,the home automation controls 322, the camera 330, the thermostat 334,the robotic devices 390, and the charging station 357 (or a component,such as a bridge/router) are intelligent enough to change thecommunication pathway from a direct local pathway when the one or moreuser devices 340 and 350 are in close physical proximity to the sensors320, the home automation controls 322, the camera 330, the thermostat334, the robotic devices 390, and the charging station 357 to a pathwayover network 305 when the one or more user devices 340 and 350 arefarther from the sensors 320, the home automation controls 322, thecamera 330, the thermostat 334, the robotic devices 390, and thecharging station 357. In some examples, the system leverages GPSinformation from the one or more user devices 340 and 350 to determinewhether the one or more user devices 340 and 350 are close enough to thesensors 320, the home automation controls 322, the camera 330, thethermostat 334, the robotic devices 390, and the charging station 357 touse the direct local pathway or whether the one or more user devices 340and 350 are far enough from the sensors 320, the home automationcontrols 322, the camera 330, the thermostat 334, the robotic devices390, and the charging station 357 that the pathway over network 305 isrequired. In other examples, the system leverages status communications(e.g., pinging) between the one or more user devices 340 and 350 and thesensors 320, the home automation controls 322, the camera 330, thethermostat 334, the robotic devices 390, and the charging station 357 todetermine whether communication using the direct local pathway ispossible. If communication using the direct local pathway is possible,the one or more user devices 340 and 350 communicate with the sensors320, the home automation controls 322, the camera 330, the thermostat334, the robotic devices 390, and the charging station 357 using thedirect local pathway. If communication using the direct local pathway isnot possible, the one or more user devices 340 and 350 communicate withthe sensors 320, the home automation controls 322, the camera 330, thethermostat 334, the robotic devices 390, and the charging station 357using the pathway over network 305.

In some implementations, the system 300 provides end users with accessto images captured by the camera 330 to aid in decision making. Thesystem 300 may transmit the images captured by the camera 330 over awireless WAN network to the user devices 340 and 350. Becausetransmission over a wireless WAN network may be relatively expensive,the system 300 can use several techniques to reduce costs whileproviding access to significant levels of useful visual information(e.g., compressing data, down-sampling data, sending data only overinexpensive LAN connections, or other techniques).

In some implementations, a state of the monitoring system and otherevents sensed by the monitoring system may be used to enable/disablevideo/image recording devices (e.g., the camera 330). In theseimplementations, the camera 330 may be set to capture images on aperiodic basis when the alarm system is armed in an “away” state, butset not to capture images when the alarm system is armed in a “home”state or disarmed. In addition, the camera 330 may be triggered to begincapturing images when the alarm system detects an event, such as analarm event, a door-opening event for a door that leads to an areawithin a field of view of the camera 330, or motion in the area withinthe field of view of the camera 330. In other implementations, thecamera 330 may capture images continuously, but the captured images maybe stored or transmitted over a network when needed.

In some implementations any of the actions performed by the control unit310 may be performed by the monitoring application server 360 and/or thecentral alarm station server 370. Similarly, any of the actionsperformed by the monitoring application server 360 and/or the centralalarm station server 370 may be performed by the control unit 310.

The described systems, methods, and techniques may be implemented indigital electronic circuitry, computer hardware, firmware, software, orin combinations of these elements. Apparatus implementing thesetechniques may include appropriate input and output devices, a computerprocessor, and a computer program product tangibly embodied in amachine-readable storage device for execution by a programmableprocessor. A process implementing these techniques may be performed by aprogrammable processor executing a program of instructions to performdesired functions by operating on input data and generating appropriateoutput. The techniques may be implemented in one or more computerprograms that are executable on a programmable system including at leastone programmable processor coupled to receive data and instructionsfrom, and to transmit data and instructions to, a data storage system,at least one input device, and at least one output device. Each computerprogram may be implemented in a high-level procedural or object-orientedprogramming language, or in assembly or machine language if desired; andin any case, the language may be a compiled or interpreted language.Suitable processors include, by way of example, both general and specialpurpose microprocessors. Generally, a processor will receiveinstructions and data from a read-only memory and/or a random accessmemory. Storage devices suitable for tangibly embodying computer programinstructions and data include all forms of non-volatile memory,including by way of example semiconductor memory devices, such asErasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EPROM), Electrically ErasableProgrammable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM), and flash memory devices;magnetic disks such as internal hard disks and removable disks;magneto-optical disks; and Compact Disc Read-Only Memory (CD-ROM). Anyof the foregoing may be supplemented by, or incorporated in, speciallydesigned ASICs (application-specific integrated circuits).

It will be understood that various modifications may be made. Forexample, other useful implementations could be achieved if steps of thedisclosed techniques were performed in a different order and/or ifcomponents in the disclosed systems were combined in a different mannerand/or replaced or supplemented by other components. Accordingly, otherimplementations are within the scope of the disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A monitoring system that is configured to monitora property, the monitoring system comprising: one or more sensors thatare located throughout the property and that are configured to generatesensor data; a drone that is configured to move throughout the propertyand generate additional sensor data; a drone dock that is configured toreceive the drone, wherein the drone is configured to continuegenerating the additional sensor data while the drone dock is receivingthe drone; and a monitor control unit that is configured to: receive thesensor data and the additional sensor data; analyze the sensor data andthe additional sensor data; based on analyzing the sensor data and theadditional sensor data, determine a status of the property; and provide,for output, data indicating the status of the property.